Capability approach, risk perception and farmers’ fertilizer reduction technology adoption behavior

Guiding farmers to adopt fertilizer reduction technologies is of great significance in promoting China's fertilizer reduction and efficiency and realizing the green and sustainable development of agriculture. In this context, based on 986 micro-survey data in Hubei Province, the study attempts to propose a new path to mitigate the negative impact of farmers' risk perception from the perspective of capability approach, and empirically analyzes the effects of capability approach and risk perception on the adoption of fertilizer reduction technologies by farmers using the ordered logit model and mediation effect model. The results show that: 1) the proportion of farmers adopting fertilizer reduction technologies in the sample is 42.80%, and the adoption level of fertilizer reduction technologies is low. Among them, the percentages of farmers adopting one, two, three and four fertilizer reduction technologies were 29.72%, 9.13%, 2.74% and 1.22%, respectively. 2) Capability approach has a significant positive effect on farmers' fertilizer reduction technology adoption behavior, while the stronger the market risk perception and technology risk perception, the lower the possibility of adopting fertilizer reduction technology. 3) Risk perception plays a partial mediating role between capability approach and adoption of fertilizer reduction technology, and capability approach helps to weaken risk perception and promote the adoption of fertilizer reduction technology. 4) Capability approach promotes the adoption of fertilizer reduction technologies among small and young farmers more than among large and older farmers. In this regard, it is important to enhance the capability approach of farmers inwardly by improving their income levels, information accessibility and participation in agricultural technology training, and outwardly by improving the existing market system for green agricultural products and helping farmers to overcome the technical thresholds required to alleviate their risk perception and increase the probability of adopting chemical fertilizer reduction technologies.